The Defective
by PJLivingston
Summary: Adeline sees the Selection as an opportunity to get away from her family and finally have her chance at love, but there's just one problem: she's deaf. Can Prince Leopold look past her flaws?
1. Chapter One

Adeline took one look at the envelope addressed in her name and promptly stuffed it inside the freezer next to a frostbitten tub of ice cream where she knew her mother would never find it. It wasn't that she didn't want to enter the Selection. Because she did. Desperately. A chance to meet Prince Leopold, a chance to fall in love, a chance to get out of her prison of a home, such a thing would be a dream come true. But she knew it was a dream that could never be.

It was just as she was rinsing off the bowl that she had used for a healthy helping of ice cream (because frostbitten or not, it was still ice cream) that her sister walked through the door with a tanned hulk of man at her side. Adeline looked up.

"Hey, Addy!" Houston squealed, almost as if she were happy to see her sister. She wasn't. Adeline could tell. Houston may have one of Illéa's most up and coming actresses, but Adeline knew all her tells.

"Hey Houston," she said curtly, "And Julio. Always nice to see you in your natural shirtless habitat." Adeline thought this joke hilarious, but it's meaning was lost to the slightly dim-witted Julio.

"HOW. ARE. YOU?" The tanned brute shouted. Adeline knew he was just trying to do her a favor, but the shouting just made his lips harder to read.

Houston slapped her man's hand coyly and giggled, "Julio, don't be rude."

"I'M GREAT, JULIO. THANK YOU FOR ASKING, " Adeline shouted in reply. Julio proceeded to give her two thumbs up, obviously proud of their ability to communicate.

Houston, getting bored with the formalities tapped Julio on the butt and said, "Why don't you go wait for me by the pool, darling?" She flashed Julio a smile that said, _just wait and see what I'm going to do to you_ , and Julio, drooling, perhaps from anticipation or perhaps from mental handicap, made his way to the pool.

"Oh my gosh, I don't know if I can stand him for much longer," Houston grumbled as soon as Julio was out of sight.

"Then why are you dating him?" Adeline asked out of genuine confusion.

"Because he's loaded," her sister replied, as if the answer was obvious.

"May I remind you that you are also loaded?" Adeline added.

"Addy, someday when you are rich and famous, you will understand. Rich and famous people need to be around other rich and famous people. That's just how it works."

"Noted." Adeline finished up rinsing her dish and stuck it in the dishwasher.

"You know we have servants for that kind of stuff." Houston was pulling a pre-made glass of lemonade out of the fridge and taking a sip.

"What mother and father don't know won't hurt 'em," Adeline muttered. Juanita and Neo, the family's main servants, were the only people Adeline might consider her friends. Not to mention that not being able to leave the house for any extended period of time had endowed her with a love of cleaning. Not a love that she would ever want her parents to find out about, of course.

"Whatever. Later, sis." Houston set her still nearly full lemonade in the sink and went to join her boyfriend in the pool. Adeline sighed, drained the wasted lemonade down the sink, and put the glass neatly in the dishwasher next to her bowl.

 **Author's Note:**

 **Hello, beautiful people! So...I am super new to the world of fan fiction, and really writing in general, so if y'all could post a review and tell me how I'm doing, that would really help me out. :)**

 **Also, The Selection belongs to the always beautiful, always deserving Kiera Cass. Let us all light a candle for her in our closet shrines. (Don't try and pretend you don't have one.)**


	2. Chapter Two

Adeline was in bed by the time her parents arrived home. A light flashed above her bedroom door, alerting her that the front door had been opened, then a vibration shook her bed, telling her that the door had been slammed. Hard. She wondered what her parents were fighting about this time. Their newest film? Houston's career? Her? It was probably her. It usually was. Adeline closed her eyes and tried to forget about the shouting that she was certain was taking place just outside her door.

Her mother had left for the film set before Adeline awoke that morning, much to Adeline's delight. The less time she spent with her mother, the happier she tended to be. Adeline showered, got dressed, and made her way downstairs where she found her father waiting for her.

"Good morning, my sweet," he signed, "How did you sleep?" Her father was the only one who ever signed to her, and she loved him for it.

When Adeline was seven, she had become extremely ill. The illness had nearly taken her life, but in the end it had taken her hearing instead. She wasn't profoundly deaf, but she still spent most of her life in complete silence. Adeline preferred to communicate by signing, but since her mother refused to sign and her father refused not to, she had grown up both signing and reading lips.

"Okay," she both spoke and signed back, "How is the movie coming along?"

Adeline's parents were both actors that starred almost exclusively in romantic comedies. Being a couple both on-screen and off drove audiences mad for their films, something Oscar and Teresa Newly had used to their advantage, building up a great career and getting fabulously wealthy in the process. If only audiences knew that at this point, their marriage was little more than a sham.

"It's going fine. I don't know if the beach we were filming at is going to work out though. We may need to relocate last minute." There was an awkward pause during which Adeline took a bite of her chocolaty marshmallow cereal, and her father watched her, contemplating. Finally he spoke, or rather signed. "You know, last night I was going for a midnight snack, and you will never believe what I found next to that old tub of ice cream in the freezer." Adeline froze mid bite as her father pulled a still slightly chilled letter off the counter and plopped it in front of her.

"So, are you going to apply?"

Adeline finished up her bite before replying. "You know why I can't do that, daddy."

"No actually, I don't. Enlighten me."

Adeline gestured to her ears. "How would I even communicate? What would the prince do if he found out I was just the poor little deaf girl? Come on, dad. I wouldn't stand a chance."

Her father gave a long sigh. "I guess you're right. Oh well. I'm making you sign up anyway."

Adeline dropped her spoon in disbelief. "Dad! I hid the letter from mother because I thought she would be the one to pull a stunt like this. You can't _make_ me sign up."

"You're right, I can't. But I can tell you that you severely underestimate yourself, my dear. You have more of a chance than you may think." Oscar Newly kissed his daughter on the cheek and headed out the door.


	3. Chapter Three

As the door closed behind him, Adeline stared down at the unbroken envelope addressed to her. Then, she saw it. She was wearing most beautiful dress, sparkling, black, and slimming. She curtsied; Prince Leopold bowed, and they began to dance. Longingly they stared into each other's eyes, and…

Before the fantasy could even finish, Adeline had grabbed the envelope, ripped it open, and pulled out the form. Looking it over, she saw that it was detailed, but nowhere was there a place to mention any sort of disability. She took a breathe to calm her nerves, then got to work.

Coming from a long line of people heavily involved in the film business, Adeline was a Two. She hailed from the province of Dominica where she was surrounded on all sides by the most beautiful beaches. The form then turned to the matter of her looks. Adeline had dark wavy hair that rarely listened to reason and was always springing out in every possible direction. Her eyes were dark as well, and they seemed almost mismatched with the light brown freckles that populated every inch of her face. Her face was round, as was the majority of her body, perhaps due to the sweet tooth she had inherited from her father. This was really the only thing she had inherited from her parents as far as she could tell. Her mother was a classic blonde beauty, as was her sister. Her father, like the majority of the people on the island, had slightly darker skin, and he had gorgeous salt and pepper hair that his female fans positively adored. Adeline had long suspected she was adopted until at a tender age she had come across some rather graphic photos that had proved to her once and for all that she had in fact come from her mother's womb.

The form moved on to things like talents and hobbies, questions Adeline found particularly difficult to answer. She finally settled on an response, and jotted it down. Once she had finished, she put down her pen and read over her application with pride.

PROVINCE: Dominica

CASTE: Two

FAMILY MEMBERS: Father, Oscar Newly (50); Mother, Teresa Newly (44); Sister, Houston Newly (25)

OCCUPATION OF PARENTS: Long time film stars

HAIR COLOR: Dark brown

EYE COLOR: Even darker brown

SKIN COLOR: White

HEIGHT: 1.57 meters

WEIGHT: 57 kilograms

HOBBIES: Reading, sketching, playing the drums

TALENTS: Learning and adapting quickly to new situations

GREATEST STRENGTH: My astounding charm and wit

HOPES AND DREAMS: Ending the war in the Africas

Adeline's frowned. There was no way in heck she was going to make it into the Selection. But at least she had told the truth. Well, except for her mother's age. Her mother would have killed her had she told the truth there. She folded up the slightly lacking application and placed in back in the envelope. Now just a quick walk to the City Center to turn it in, and that would be that.

"Juanita!" she yelled to the maid that she figured was probably upstairs cleaning her sister's room, "I'm going out!" Adeline quickly put on her favorite pair of sneakers and slipped out the door before Juanita had the chance to come downstairs and question her too much about it.

Adeline breathed in the fresh air and paused for a moment to take in her surroundings before starting off the walk to the City Center. Adeline's mother preferred she not go outside. "It ruins our image," she would say. But sometimes Adeline missed the fresh air.

Part of her mother's problem was that Adeline didn't exactly dress like most Two's. Houston and her friends all dressed to draw attention to themselves, but Adeline tended to do just the opposite. Her clothes were expensive, sure, but one would never know it by looking at the simple blouse and skirt combo she had on that particular day. No one stared at her as she walked down the street envelope in hand. No one parted for her as they would have had she been walking with any other member of her family. And Adeline preferred it that way.

As Adeline rounded the corner toward the City Center, she stopped suddenly in her tracks. The line to get in the door was nearly a block long. Girls from every caste stood alongside doting mothers as they waited to turn in their applications. For not the first time that day, Adeline took a deep breath to calm herself and walked up to join the ever growing line. The pair of girls in front of her were probably either Fives or Sixes given their dress. They were whispering excitedly about the prospect of meeting the prince and bemoaning the fact that the application hadn't really given them a chance to showcase their talents. Adeline shifted uncomfortably, and began to tap a beat to pass the time.

She hadn't been joking about the drumming on her application. Although her mother may have considered her drumming to be a joke, drumming was Adeline's passion. As was ancient rock. Few people listened to that type of music anymore, which was one of the many reasons that Adeline's lifelong dream of becoming the next deaf Jon Bonham (minus the early tragic death of course) was mere fantasy.

After what seemed like hours, Adeline finally made it inside the building and was able to hand her application to a gruff-looking man who promptly scanned it, typed a few things into a computer, and told her to go stand on the piece of tape. If the man had been facing Adeline when he said it, she might have caught the command, but alas, Adeline just stood there.

A mother standing behind her whacked her on the shoulder impatiently. Adeline whipped around in surprise just in time to catch what the mother was saying to her.

"What, are you deaf? He said go stand on the piece of tape!"

Adeline could feel her heart beating in her throat. Misunderstandings like this were just another reason that her mother preferred her to stay inside.

Pretending like she had an itch, Adeline reached up and pulled out her hearing aids as she made her way over to the tape. Her hearing aids were small and not too noticeable, but she still didn't want to chance them appearing in her picture. She lifted her chin and looked at the camera. _Suck in your gut, Adeline, you look like a pig_ , she could almost see her mother saying. She sucked in her gut. _Remember to smile, Adeline_ , her father would have said. She smiled. The camera flashed, and Adeline was shuffled off in the direction of the exit. She turned back around to see her application being added to a pile of what must have been hundreds. She had no chance in the world of being selected. She shrugged it off.

 **Author's Note:**

 **I realized that I really didn't like these as two separate chapters, so I combined them into one. I'm also trying to make my chapters a little longer, per request. Enjoy, and don't forget to review!**


	4. Chapter Four

Upon returning home, Adeline checked to see if Juanita was still around, but thankfully, she was alone. She went up to her room and immediately began to peruse her CD collection. They were all antiques of course, pre-World War III and each worth a fortune. Adeline considered it one of the few benefits to being born rich. She selected her favorite Led Zeppelin album and placed it in her retro CD player. It was hooked up to speakers that could probably blow a hole in the wall if she wasn't careful. She turned up the volume to blaring level and placed her hand on the speaker as she listened to Stairway to Heaven. This was her own personal heaven.

The next few weeks were a blur of boredom, as most of Adeline's weeks were. She had resigned herself to not being Selected and had almost forgotten completely about the matter until the night of the Report. Adeline normally watched the Report with Juanita and Neo, but somehow that particular night both her parents and her sister had made it home for the occasion. Adeline settled into her favorite chair, excited to see who would be selected. Her father was fiddling with the remote, going through the complicated dance that was required to turn on the closed captioning. Juanita came in with a large bowl of caramel corn. It was for her father, of course, but Adeline reached up to grab a handful anyway. Her mother quickly smacked her hand away.

"You're already fat, you don't need any more sweets," she chastised. Adeline knew she was chubby. But she also really wanted caramel corn.

The Report had started.

There was a panorama of a desert laden with bodies, then a voice over began. "Illéa's armed forces continue to try and calm upheavals all over the African Union…"

The scenes nearly brought tears to Adeline's eyes, but she did her best to stay put together. For one thing, Houston would mock her mercilessly if she saw her cry, but Adeline also wanted to stay positive for Neo. He was only a few years older than her, and it was only a matter of time before his number was called for the draft. Once a soldier was sent to the Africas, they rarely returned. Out of the corner of her eye Adeline noticed Juanita grip her son's hand and squeeze. She wished she could do the same.

"...Listen in tomorrow to hear yet another update on the African War." The panoramas ended and a jazzy tune that marked the beginning of a Mikel Travis interview began.

"Finally," Houston muttered. Adeline had the urge to slap her.

Mikel Travis and Prince Leopold appeared on the screen, both relaxing in comfortable-looking chairs. Mikel turned to the camera and gave one of his classic smiles.

"Good evening, ladies and gents! Very soon, as I'm sure you'll all aware, we are going to be announcing the names of the thirty-five ladies that will be joining Prince Leopold for what I am sure is to the be event of the year! But first, I think we all want to know what exactly is going through the prince's head right now, am I right?" The live audience gave a chuckle, and the prince smiled in response. The prince's jet black hair was gelled back as it always was, and it was probably just a trick of the lights, but his dark eyes seemed to sparkle.

"So," Mikel had turned back to look Prince Leopold, "Tell us, your highness, how are you feeling? What were your thoughts waking up this morning?"

"Honestly, I've been a nervous wreck," the prince confessed. This garnered more laughter from the audience.

Mikel gave a rehearsed sigh. "Haven't we all? I swear my daughter tried on four different outfits this morning!"

"Well I think I got her beat; I tried on five." The prince looked down at his outfit as if he were still contemplating whether it was the right one.

Mikel answered his unspoken question with a, "Well it turned out fabulous. Clearly you made the right choice."

Prince Leopold pretended to wipe sweat from his brow, "Thank you, I was truly worried."

"Now, your highness, are you ready to hear the names of the thirty-five candidates up for your hand?"

"I don't think I'll ever be ready, Mikel, but we might as well get this over with." The audience laughed once more.

"You know he's actually really boring in real life," Houston piped in. She was referring to Mikel Travis. Adeline knew this because she had made this same comment fifteen times since she had returned from her first and only interview with Illéa's most famous talk show host. Her mother immediately shushed her. Mikel had opened the first envelope.

"Ms. Jezzabelle Collins from Allens, a Two." They showed a picture of Jezzabelle who had long auburn hair and stunning green eyes. Leopold's face in the corner of the screen seemed to approve.

"Ms. Jazz Howard from Angles, a Three." Jazz had jet black hair that she had cropped short.

Mikel was announcing in alphabetical order by province. It wouldn't be long before he called the name of Dominica's candidate. Adeline's heart was racing. It was unlikely that she would know the girl who had been selected, but there was a small chance that she would. Whoever it was, Adeline was ready to cheer her on.

"Ms. Amani Jueves from Bonita, a…" Mikel stumbled over this last word, "Six." Prince Leopold seemed shocked, but his reaction was nothing compared to Adeline's mother.

"A Six?! Who does the slut think she is? The bi-"

Adeline took out her hearing aids, a method she used often to turn out her mother, and did her best to keep up with the names.

"Ms. Eloise Christensen from Clermont, a Five."

Dominica was only a few names away.

"Ms. Leigh Callahan from Dakota, a Three."

"Ms. Adeline Newly from Dominica, a Two."

Mikel Travis continued reading off names as if chaos had not just erupted before Adeline's eyes. It started with her mother's scream. Teresa may have been upset about Amani Jueves from Bonita, but she was downright furious at her daughter.

"You little bitch! You entered without telling me?! You're fifteen!" Had Adeline actually been able to read her mother's lips, she would have been able to correct her miscalculation by telling her that she was in fact eighteen, but Adeline's eyes were closed tightly and stinging from her mother's slaps. The pain ended suddenly and Adeline opened her eyes to see her father restraining her mother. Now they were yelling at each other instead of at Adeline. Seizing the opportunity, Adeline stood and raced up the stairs into her room. She put on the heaviest metal CD she could find and proceeded to curl up in a ball on her bed, letting the blaring bass vibrations wash over her.

 **Author's Note:**

 **We finally get to meet Adeline's mother in this chapter...aaaand she is a genuinely terrible human being. She is my least favorite character I have ever written. What did you guys think?**


	5. Chapter Five

Several minutes later, her door opened, and although Adeline was oblivious to it, it was Neo, his hands pressed firmly to his ears as the bellowing music was a little too much for him to handle. He walked into the room and turned the CD player off with his foot, causing Adeline to shoot up in surprise.

"Hey," Neo said simply. Because nothing else needed to be said. He curled up next to Adeline and took her into his arms. They stayed like this for several minutes until Adeline finally looked up at him.

"I didn't tell her because I didn't think I would be selected. What if she doesn't let me go?"

Neo shook his head, "You're eighteen. She can't stop you." They both knew this wasn't true, but neither spoke this thought aloud. Instead Neo grinned, "I'm so excited for you. And maybe a little jealous."

"I'll be able to get into law school after this," Adeline added with a smile, "Become a politician, work on ending this war, everything I've ever wanted." Adeline saw Neo tense up at the mention of the war, but he shook it off and hugged her tightly.

Adeline stayed in her room the rest of the day. She didn't want to risk the storm that was sure to be going on just outside. Just before she was about to head to bed, her father walked through the door. "I told her this would be good for our career," was the first thing he signed upon entering. "'Oscar and Teresa's secret daughter finally gets her time in the limelight.'"

"And she believed you?" Adeline signed back.

"She did," was his response.

"So that's one problem solved, but how the heck am I going to compete? First off, those other girls are positively gorgeous, and secondly, I'm pretty sure they can all hear."

Adeline's mind had, several times that day, returned to the fantasy she had seen when she had looked at the envelope weeks earlier. The sparkling dress. The prince's eyes. It was true that the scene was so much closer now, and Adeline so wanted to believe it could be a reality, but it just wasn't the case. Reality was that she would be lucky to stay in the castle for a couple of weeks, the minimum amount of time she figured she would need to gather up enough fame to make it into law school.

"My dear, I have already hired an interpreter."

"Sexy. I don't know how I'll be able to keep the prince off of me if I have an interpreter following me around."

Her father chuckled, "My thoughts exactly."

Gifts for Adeline began arriving the next day and continued into the next week. They were all from fans of her parents wishing her luck in the Selection. A lot of it was flowers, clothing that didn't fit, and expensive gaudy jewelry, but Adeline's favorite gifts were of the chocolate variety. She did her best to hoard them all before her mother could throw them away.

A week after the Selected had been announced, a representative from the castle came with forms galore for Adeline to sign. Thankfully, Houston was home to provide helpful commentary with each one. Houston had been even more bitchy than normal following the announcement. Clearly, having a sister who was more famous than her had not been part of the actress's plan.

"This is to ensure you understand that you are only allowed to wear clothing provided to you by the castle." The women who had introduced herself as Lady Marie handed her a form.

"Good luck getting her into a dress," Houston snorted.

Lady Marie glanced at Houston and then back at Adeline. "Are you sure you wouldn't rather do this somewhere more private?"

"No. She can stay,"Adeline said simply, "She's polishing her nails; you can't just expect her to get up and leave right in the middle of that." Houston looked up briefly from what she was doing and smiled.

"Okay," Lady Marie cleared her throat, "As one of the Selected, you are considered property of Illéa. With this in mind, we expect you to take care of your body, eating well and exercising." She handed Adeline another form.

"Good thing chocolate's healthy, huh sis? Oh wait…"

"And this is to ensure you are a virgin," the woman paused, "You are a virgin, correct?"

Houston laughed. "Like you'd be able to find someone willing to pop her cherry."

Adeline laughed too. "Good one, sis." She took the form that the lady was still uncertainly holding out and added it to her pile.

The evening continued thusly until Houston's comment on a particular form took the shape of, "You know she's deaf, right?"

Lady Marie stopped and looked up, "She's what?"

"Deaf," Adeline repeated. Since Lady Marie still looked puzzled, Adeline spelled it out, loud and clear for her convenience. "D-E-A-F. It's okay, the condition can be a little contagious at times."

"Excuse me. I just need to make a call." Lady Marie stood up and hurried out of the room.

Adeline rolled her eyes and went ahead and grabbed the rest of the forms from Lady Marie's dwindling stack. She had expected this, but she knew that replacing her would out of the question at this point. Lady Marie returned fifteen minutes later, collected her forms, and left.

"Well, that went well," Houston said. Adeline agreed.

 **Author's Note:**

 **I don't love this chapter, but I do like that we get to see more of Adeline and Houston's relationship. They would never admit it to anyone, but they really do love each other. We also get to meet Neo (pronounced like you would say it in Spanish: NAY-oh), who I absolutely adore. He gets a cute scene in the next chapter too.**


	6. Chapter Six

Adeline stood facing the mirror. She was wearing a sort of pantsuit that the castle had sent, and it was surprisingly flattering. Juanita had done her hair in an elegant french braid with a Bayahibe Rose stuck into the base. Supposedly it was the official flower of her province; although, Adeline had been unaware of this fact two hours before.

Neo was standing at the door, and he waved at her to get her attention. Adeline turned toward him. "You look gorgeous!" He signed the word gorgeous for emphasis, and Adeline smiled. "I stole some of your sister's makeup," he continued, "Sit down."

"Do you think I should wear makeup though?" Adeline asked dubiously. She sat down despite her doubts.

"Don't worry. I'll go light. You won't even know you have it on."

Neo's definition of light was very different from Adeline's, and she would realize this later. Even so, Neo was quite the mastermind when it came to makeup, and Adeline felt confident with it on.

Adeline's sendoff was littered with paparazzi trying to get pictures of her parents and sister, and Adeline was grateful that it took some of the attention away from her. Dominica's mayor gave a lovely speech that included a reminder to vote for him in the next election, and then he let Adeline say a few words.

She had practiced what she was going to say hundreds of times in the mirror, but her heart was still racing as she walked up to the microphone. "Thank you so much for your support, Dominica. It means so much to me and my family." _Smile_ , she reminded herself. She smiled.

The crowd cheered. It was a strange feeling; they were cheering for _her_.

It was time to say goodbye to her family. She smiled politely at her mother, shook her sister's hand, and hugged her father tight.

He held up his thumb, index finger, and pinkie, the sign for _I love you_. Adeline did the same. She then grabbed her single suitcase, turned, and got into the taxi, oblivious to the cheers of the crowd now that her back was to them.

The fact that there was already a man waiting for her in the backseat of the taxi made her jump. She hoped the cameras that had been filming her send off hadn't caught it.

"Hi," the man signed, "I'm Tristan." It was so strange to see someone other than her father sign so fluently that it took Adeline a moment to process.

"Oh!" She said, not bothering to sign back to him, "The interpreter."

"That's me! You speak really well. Were you brought up orally?"

"I sign and read lips," Adeline explained, then added, "Do you think the driver would be willing to stop to get something to eat? I'm so starving. You know what sounds good is waffles! Do you want some?"

Tristan looked confused. Mainly because Adeline was the most usual deaf person he had ever met. And he had met many.

As it turned out, they were on a strict schedule and didn't have time to stop for waffles, which meant that by the time her plane landed in Bonita, Adeline felt famished.

Adeline would be flying from Bonita to Angeles with three other Selected. She recognized their faces immediately. "We're over here," she signed to Tristan, which oddly enough made him feel like he was the one who needed an interpreter. Filipa Castera, a petite little thing with New Asian roots, was greeting some of her fans. Adeline went and sat next to a girl she thought she recognized, but it was difficult to tell with the enormous hat obscuring her face. Tristan followed obediently with the suitcases.

"Hello," Adeline began cheerfully. The girl looked up, and Adeline gasped. She recognized the girl as Amani Jueves, the one and only Six in the competition, but this is what caused her to gasp. Amani was sporting an enormous black eye.

"What happened? Are you okay?"

Amani looked confused for a moment before remembering her current condition. "Oh this?" She gestured to her eye nonchalantly. "It's nothing. I guess you could say that my send off didn't go too well. Some people are pretty upset that I was selected. I'm Amani, by the way. You're Adeline Newly, right?"

Adeline wasn't listening. She was rummaging through through to her purse. "I thought I had some concealer in here, but I'm not finding it. You know what, it'd be too light for you anyways." Amani's skin was a beautiful deep mocha, even darker than Oscar Newly's. Adeline turned to Tristan whose skin tone was fairly close to Amani's. She signed, "Do you have any concealer?"

Tristan gave her a confused look and signed back, "No."

Adeline pulled her wallet out of her purse. "Could you go grab some from one of the airport stores then?"

"That is so not in my job description," Tristan signed.

"Come on, please. I'm sure my parents are paying you bucket loads of money. Just go up to a clerk and have them pick out the right one for your skin tone."

Tristan rolled his eyes and signed, "You owe me." He grabbed the wallet Adeline was holding out to him and began walking in the direction of the most promising looking store.

Amani had watched the entire exchange in awe. She had never seen anyone communicate by signing. "Is he deaf?" She asked Adeline.

"No, I am," Adeline replied.

Amanai looked stunned. "You're…" Then she began to laugh.

Adeline bristled. "What's so funny?"

"First they let a Six get selected, then a deaf girl? The Selection hasn't even begun and it's already a wreck!" Amani continued to laugh.

Adeline smiled. It was a little funny.

Tristan returned a few minutes later with the concealer, and Adeline took Amani into the bathroom to try and fix her black eye.

"So tell me what happened."

Amani winced as Adeline dabbed makeup on her bruise. "It was nothing really. I've been getting a lot of threats since my name was announced. Someone finally decided to follow through."

Adeline thought about the hundreds of gifts that had shown up on the doorstep the past two weeks. She had assumed that all of the selected had experienced something similar, but it seemed that wasn't the case. "I'm sorry," she said. She didn't know what else to say.

Amani seemed surprised by her apology. "It's not your fault," she paused for a moment, then continued, "I've been dealing with it my whole life, people judging me based on my caste and the color of my skin. It's wrong, but that's just the way the world works."

Adeline wanted to change the subject, but Amani beat her to it. "So I didn't know the Newly's had a second daughter before they announced your name."

"Yeah. I was a bit of a family secret."

"What are they like in real life? Your parents, I mean. I love all of their movies; I watch them all the time."

Adeline was prepared for this question, which is why she didn't even miss a beat when she said, "They're so cute together. It makes me want to barf sometimes how loving they are."

"Really?" Amani swooned. "I knew it. Some people say their relationship is just a publicity stunt, but those people haven't seen their movies. I mean, you can't fake chemistry like that."

Adeline finished up her work on Amani's eye,and Amani turned to look in the mirror. If someone were to look closely they would notice the swelling and a slight discoloration, but the bruising was almost invisible under the concealer.

"Oh my gosh, thank you!" Amani gushed.

"And you won't be needing this anymore." Adeline pulled off Amani's over-sized hat. Without it Adeline realized how pretty she was.

Amani laughed and tossed the ridiculous bonnet into the trash. "My kids told me I looked like an umbrella this morning."

Adeline blinked. "Your _what_?"

"My babies. The kids I nanny. Do you want to see pictures?"

Amani seemed so excited at the prospect that it was difficult to say no. "This is Ezzy, Piper and Liam." She pointed to wallet-sized portraits as she named them off. "I've been with them since the oldest, Liam, was born."

The children were, admittedly, adorable.

"It must have been hard to say goodbye to them."

Amani nodded in agreement. "At least it won't be for long."

Adeline laughed. "Are you kidding? Once the prince gets to know you, he's never going to want you to leave."

The thought seemed to please Amani. "Do you really think so?"

"Absolutely."

Adeline and Amani left the bathroom together in a fit of giggles each happy that, for the first time in their lives, they had found a friend.


	7. Chapter Seven

The fourth member of their party, Nia Alaster, finally arrived thirty minutes later, which meant the four girls could finally board the jet headed for Angeles. Filipa had spent the entire thirty minutes absorbed in her fans. Adeline noticed that even though they were in Amani's home province, most of the crowd were holding signs for either Filipa or Nia.

As they made their way toward the jet, Adeline noticed one of the few people in the crowd that was holding a sign for her. The girl couldn't have been more than ten. Her hair was so light that it appeared white, and it was curled into tight little ringlets. Her eyes were the lightest of blues, and they stared vacantly off to the left. Her sign read, "Adeline Newly, I want to 'see' you win." Adeline thought her heart might explode from the cuteness. Even though they were in a hurry, Adeline stopped to kneel down beside her tiny fan.

"Hey, I'm Adeline. What's your name?"

The girl's lips moved so imperceptibly that for the first time that day, Adeline had to turn to Tristan for help. Pleased to be of use, Tristan signed, "Meredith."

Adeline turned back to the girl. "Meredith? That's a beautiful name. Is it okay if I sign your poster, Meredith?"

The girl beamed. Adeline took out a marker, then thought better of it and pulled out a pen. She used Tristan's back to sign her name in the upper righthand corner. The pen left an imprint of her signature, and Adeline pulled the girl's hand towards it so she could feel it. The girl ran her fingers across the signature and her face lit up, brighter than before.

"It was nice to meet you, Meredith." She took the girl's hand and shook it before her fan ran back to her mother to show her the poster.

"Let's go," Tristan signed, "We're holding up the group."

The plane ride took several hours, but much to Adeline's relief, food was provided. The time also allowed her to get to know Filipa and Nia better. She learned that they were both Threes. Filipa was the daughter of a professor, and Nia's parents were both dentists. Filipa was surprising shy, and Nia was just the opposite. Filipa and Nia seemed to hit it off right away, and halfway into the flight the four of them had split into pairs. Amani wanted to talk about the Newly's films, and Adeline reluctantly obliged.

The group was one of the first to arrive at the castle. They were escorted by a group of maids through the twists and turns of the castle into a large room full of chairs and mirrors. A photographer took their 'before' pictures, and then the girls were split up for their makeovers. Tristan followed Adeline like a lost puppy. Most of the staff didn't seem to notice his presence.

Adeline sat down with the man who would be responsible for her transformation.

"Lady Adeline, we need to talk about your image," he began.

"What do you mean?"

"Your image is how the public and, most especially, how the prince perceives you. Now, you are deaf, correct?"

Adeline didn't like where this was headed, but she nodded.

"I believe we can use this to our advantage. A disability such as this can make you seem sympathetic to the public eye. If I am to be perfectly honest, you don't come off as disabled. My advice to you would be to play it up a little."

It took Adeline a moment to absorb this. "So wait, you want me to appear more deaf so I can get pity votes?"

The man chuckled. "I wouldn't have put it that way, but yes."

Adeline shook her head. "No. I'm not going to do that."

The man shrugged. "It is only a suggestion. Do with it what you will. But if I may be frank, Lady Adeline, I do not believe you will last long in this competition."

Adeline had known this was the case from the very beginning, but it still stung to hear the words spoke aloud.

"Now," the man rubbed his hands, "Let's do something about that hair, shall we?"

The people in charge of Adeline's makeover put some sort of gel in her hair that made it smooth and silky, a texture Adeline hadn't thought was possible with her hair. They tweaked and plucked at her eyebrows and perfected her makeup before putting her in a gown. The dress they forced her into was a deep scarlett sleeveless piece. Just like the pantsuit she had been wearing earlier, it was incredibly slimming. Unlike most of the clothes that Adeline typically wore, it accented all of her best features and hid the chubbier ones. On the other hand it was incredibly uncomfortable.

By the time photographers were taking Adeline's 'after' shots, most of the other selected had arrived. Adeline noticed Amani on the other side of the room, her hair shorter than it had been, and all evidence of her black eye hidden behind expertly placed makeup. She made her way over to where she was sitting. As soon as Amani caught sight of her new friend, her face lit up.

"Addy! I love what they did to your hair! It's gorgeous! And your dress too! It's the perfect color for you. Is it okay if I call you Addy?"

Adeline had to laugh at Amani's pent up enthusiasm. "My sister calls me Addy, and I kind of hate it," she admitted.

Amani nodded. "Adeline, then. What do you think of my hair?"

"I love it!" And she did. Amani's new locks framed her hair perfectly, and if it was possible, she was even more beautiful than before.

 **Author's Note:**

 **I apologize for this chapter being so short. Finals are fast approaching, and I find myself not having as much free time as I would like. Hopefully in the next chapter we will finally get to meet this elusive prince.**


	8. Chapter Eight

Leopold took a deep breath to calm his nerves. He glanced at the clock on the wall for the fifteenth time since sitting down for dinner. It was 6:30. All of the Selected had probably arrived by now and were getting their makeovers in the Women's Room. He wished he could stand outside the room and take a peek. He wished he could hop on a plane and get as far away as possible. _Breathe_ , he reminded himself.

Despite the inner turmoil, Leopold appeared completely calm from the outside. He had had years of practice masking his feelings, his nerves, and his general awkwardness. Leopold glanced around the table at his family. This would be their last dinner together in the smaller of the two dining halls. For the next several months they would be eating with the Selected. The thought once again made his stomach roll with anxiety, and he finally put down his fork, resigned to the fact that eating was out of the question that night. The dining hall was eerily silent, typical for a Illéa family dinner. His father sat at the front of the table, his mother on the king's right. The twins sat opposite him, and an empty chair sat on his left. The ever empty chair was the cause of the silence.

Leopold finally spoke. "Do you have any advice, father? About the Selection?"

King Harold looked up. Mason and Jamison stopped trying to shove peas up each other's nose long enough to listen to the king's response.

The king cleared his throat, clearly uncomfortable. "Just...be yourself, son."

Leopold nodded and returned to staring at his plate. He didn't know why he had expected his father to give him any real advice. Thus far their conversation about the selection had been limited to the fact that it was occurring. There had been a time when conversation flowed easily at the dinner table. There had been jokes and laughter. Leopold couldn't remember the last time he had laughed. It must have been before Christian had gotten sick. Before his little brother's life had been cut short before it had really begun.

Leopold had been twelve when his youngest brother was born. Eight months later, Christian was diagnosed with a heart defect. Six months after that, he was dead. The death had ruined the family. A once vibrant and cheerful Queen Leona became a shell of a person after the death of her son. She became frail and sickly, rarely eating, as if the act of feeding herself was disrespectful to the memory of her son. King Harold withdrew from the world in his own way, throwing himself into his work like never before. Mason and Jamison had been only three at the time. The family that young Christian had left in ruins was the only one they had ever known. But Leopold remembered.

Leopold stood up from the table abruptly. There was so much he wanted to say. He wanted to yell at his mother for killing herself, he wanted to yell at his father for starting a war instead of facing his grief, but instead he said calmly, "I'll take dessert in my room." He left the room in silence.

Leopold's bedroom was covered in papers. He had spent the past two weeks memorizing every inch of each application, and the evidence of his work was sprawled all over the floor. Leopold picked up from his desk the flashcards he had made himself. The picture that was currently on top was of Hope Swenson, a four from Labrador. She enjoyed swimming and had advertised on her application that she had a bubbly personality. Leopold set down the stack once more. There was no point in going over it again. He could recite the names in his sleep.

A noise from outside his room made Leopold start. He tiptoed over to the door and pressed his ear against it.

"...And then we'll switch the blue and blonde hair dye…" Mason's voice faded down the hall along with Jamison's giggles.

Leopold groaned. _Not again_ , he thought. The twins' last prank had been only hours ago. They had snuck sleeping pills into their tutor's tea. Leopold had hoped it would hold the boys over for at least twenty four hours, but apparently the commotion of the day meant that they had felt an added need to be extra mischievous.

Leopold raced down the hall in the direction of the voices, but he was too late. His brothers had all but disappeared. Leopold's jog slowed to a walk as he rounded the corner to the Women's Room. He could hear the commotion coming from inside. Perhaps just a peek wouldn't hurt. He surreptitiously peered through the door. Girls were bustling about amid crowds of cameramen, maids, and advisers. One of the girls would be his future bride. He caught sight of the beautiful Jezzabelle Collins chatting with the spunky Blythe Alson. At least he assumed she was spunky. That was the vibe he had gotten from her application.

A shriek interrupted his thoughts.

"My hair! My hair is blue! You morons!"

Leopold ducked back behind the door before he could catch sight of who had been the unlucky victim of his brothers' prank. Then, for the first time in years, Leopold laughed. He had to stifle it, of course. He couldn't risk getting caught. But the hand pressed firmly against his mouth only made him laugh harder, and soon his was doubled over in a fit of giggles. It was clear now why the twins had felt a need to pull another prank that day, and why they had been so obvious about it. They had wanted to cheer him up. And for some reason, it had worked.

 **Author's Note:**

 **Once again I apologize for the shortness of this chapter. Finals are over with (yay!), but a new semester has begun. When I started this story I was firm in the idea that I was just going to tell it from Adeline's perspective, but when it came to introducing the royal family, I finally broke down and wrote a snippet from Leopold's perspective. This won't be the last time we hear from him, but we probably won't hear from him too often.**

 **So, what do you think of the royal family?**


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